Getting a grip on the Sigma DP series cameras

Walking a dog and taking pictures is not always easy, but with the 3-D printed grip and thumb rest, it’s possible to use the Sigma DP cameras like a real street shooter.

Third-party grip takes street photography to a new level

Let’s start by saying I love the minimalism of the Sigma DP1 and DP2. Their simplicity, along with their incredible foveon sensors give them special status among the many high-end point-and-shoot cameras in my arsenal.

My Sigma DP2’s brick-like look and feel is perfect when I’m using it out of a camera bag or from a tripod capturing landscapes in the woodland. However, when it comes to street photography, I like a good grip to give me the assurance I’m not going to accidentally drop one of my favourite cameras.

That’s when Shutterspeedblog’s creative expertise comes into play with its outstanding grips for the Sigma cameras as well as a host of other high-end cameras from Leica, Canon and Lumix just to name a few.

Sigma Hand grip

The 3-D printed grip has been meticulously designed to incorporate both a grip and thumb rest, while allowing access to the battery and SD card.

There is something comforting about walking around town with the Sigma DP2 hanging off your fingertips ready to capture anything that catches your fancy. Of course, I use a simple wrist strap for a little added insurance, but the camera sits nicely in my hand with just the grip. The built-in thumb rest is added security and helps me to hold the non-ibis camera still during longer exposures.

Grip and build-in thumb rest

This overhead view shows the grip and build-in thumb rest that helps to make street photography style shooting with eh Sigmas that much easier.

The meticulously 3D printed grip also allows access to the battery (and we all know how important that is for the battery-eating Sigmas) and SD card, to make the entire experience seamless.

Want to remove the grip? Unscrew it from the tripod mount. Want to still use the camera on a tripod? No problem, there is a separate, yet very sturdy tripod mount built into the grip.

There is no doubt that the very reasonably priced grip significantly improves the handling of the camera. Depending on the size of your hands, some of the buttons on the back of the camera might be a little more difficult to reach, but that is a miniscule price to pay for the convenience the grip provides.

Lumix LX7 grip

Similar grips are made for Lumix, Leica, Canon and other high end point and shoot cameras.

I decided to give it a good workout during a walk with our new dog down the Main Street of our small town. Walking a dog and carrying a camera loosely in your hand is not always recommended, but the new grip on the Sigma made it not only possible, but immensely enjoyable. All I had to do is raise the camera and shoot away like a real veteran street-shooter.

I can only imagine how much easier it will be to use the grip on the cameras for someone who regularly shoots from the hip, whether they are using the camera in manual focus mode or autofocus.

The following are just a few more images from my morning walk with our Flat-coated retriever, Colby and the Sigma DP2 and grip from Shutterspeedblog’s eBay store.

Colby goes to church

A quick grab shot of Colby in front of a gothic church door. The grip just makes stealing images like this much easier with the Sigma series of cameras.

Catching a quick shot in front of Trails Cafe on the Main Street of our small town.

The combination of the hand grip and thumb rest transforms the Sigma DP2 into a very competent and comfortable walk-around camera ideal for high quality street photography.